God saves the *Jews
An EasyEnglish Bible version (1200 word vocabulary) on the book of Esther
Christine Muir
Words in boxes are comments on the text. The Bible text has not yet been through Advanced Checking.
A word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.
The Book of Esther is one book in the *Old Testament. It is one of the few books written in both the *Hebrew language and the Greek language. This translation is from the *Hebrew language. The Book of Esther belongs to the third part of the Hebrew Scriptures (*Old Testament). The three parts are the *Law, the *Prophets and the Writings.
The books that are in the Writings are Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther. Each book is read during one of the great *Jewish Celebrations (*Feasts). The *Jews read Esther aloud during the *Feast of Purim.
The writer wrote the book after the *Jews were *exiled to Babylon in the year 600 BC (BC means the years before Jesus was born). The book tells us what happened in the time of King Xerxes I, the king of Persia (country near Babylon). He ruled from 485-465 BC.
We do not know who wrote the book. But we can believe the book because of the facts that tell us about life at the *palace. Because of these facts, some people think that the writer was alive at the time when this happened.
v1 This is what happened when King Xerxes ruled over 127 parts of the *kingdom of Persia. He ruled from India to Cush. v2 King Xerxes ruled from the city of Susa. v3 In the third year of King Xerxes’ rule, he gave a great *feast. The *feast was for all the important men who had authority in the *kingdom.
Cush was the Persian name for the country, which included most of what is now the country of Sudan and some of the country of Ethiopia as it is today. Susa was where Persian kings lived in the winter.
v4 The *feast lasted for 180 days. King Xerxes wanted to show everyone how rich and powerful he was. v5 When this *feast was over, he gave another *feast. This took place in the *palace gardens. It lasted for 7 days. This *feast was for everyone who lived in the city of Susa. It was for people who were important and people who were not important. v6 The gardens had blue and white linen curtains. Purple curtains were hanging from tall thin rocks. There were beds made of gold and silver. The floor had many valuable stones in it.
Only rich people would have material of blue and white linen. Linen was a special material. Purple is a colour. Only rich people would have purple material.
Silver is a valuable metal.
v7 People drank from gold cups. Each cup was different. The king let everyone have his own *wine. v8 Each man had as much *wine to drink as he wanted. But no man was made to drink any *wine if he did not want to.
v9 Queen Vashti was the king’s wife. She gave a *feast for all the women in the *palace.
v10 On the 7th day, King Xerxes was feeling happy. He called his *eunuchs. Their names were Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar and Carcas. v11 He told them to bring Queen Vashti to him. He said that she must wear her *royal crown. King Xerxes wanted to show everyone how beautiful his queen was. v12 The *eunuchs told Queen Vashti what the king had said. But she would not go to him. This made King Xerxes very angry.
v13 The king had men who knew the *law. He always asked them what to do when some one did not obey him. v14 He *trusted these men. Their names were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan. These men always sat next to the king. They had great authority in the *kingdom.
v15 The king asked them, ‘What must I do with Queen Vashti? She did not obey me when the *eunuchs told her what I said. What is the *law about this?’
v16 Memucan (one of the men) replied, ‘The queen has not only done wrong to you. She has done wrong to all the important men in your *kingdom. v17 When other wives hear about this, they will not obey their own husbands. The women of the *kingdom will say, “King Xerxes told Queen Vashti to come to him, but she would not come”. v18 Then the wives of the king’s officers will not obey their husbands. This will make their husbands angry.
v19 If it makes the king happy, we suggest that you pass a *law. This *law cannot be changed. Pass a *law that says that Vashti must not stand in front of you again. Then find a better woman to be queen. v20 When people know the *law, all women will obey their husbands. They will obey them if they are rich or poor’.
v21 The king and his officers liked this idea and did as Memucan said. v22 Men on horses took the *law to all the parts of the *kingdom. The king said that people must write the *law in the languages of all who lived in the *kingdom. The *law said that every man must rule over his children and his wife.
By not obeying her husband, Queen Vashti was telling other wives in the *kingdom that they did not have to obey their own husbands. Other wives would not *respect their husbands. The king sent Queen Vashti away because she would not obey him. She would never see the king again. So King Xerxes passed a *law that all married women must obey and *respect their husbands.
v1 Some time passed. King Xerxes was not feeling so angry. He thought about Vashti. He thought about the *law that he passed.
King Xerxes could not change the *law. Because of this *law he no longer had a queen.
v2 Some of the king’s servants said, ‘Let the king ask his servants to look for beautiful young women for him. v3 Let the king choose officers from every part of his *kingdom to do this. They will take the women to the *harem at Susa. Hegai, the king’s *eunuch, will care for them. The young women will receive *beauty treatments. v4 The young woman who makes the king happy will be queen instead of Vashti’. King Xerxes agreed with the servant. And he did everything that the servant said.
v5 In the city of Susa there was a *Jew called Mordecai. Mordecai was the son of Jair. Jair was the son of Shimei. Shimei was the son of Kish. Kish was a Benjamite.
Mordecai was of the *family of Benjamin. This was one of the 12 *families of Israel. You can read about this in Genesis 35.
v6 Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had sent Kish (with other *Jews) to live away from Jerusalem. This was when Nebuchadnezzar took King Jeconiah of Judah away from Jerusalem. v7 Mordecai had a young cousin named Hadassah (also called Esther) who lived in his house. Esther’s mother and father were dead. Esther was beautiful. Mordecai called Esther his daughter.
Judah had been part of Israel. It had its own king. Some people had two names. Hadassah was a Hebrew name. Hebrew is the language of the *Jews. Esther was a Persian name.
v8 Esther was with the young women that the officers brought to the city of Susa. The servants brought them to the *palace. Hegai had authority over all the young women. v9 Hegai liked Esther. He gave her *beauty treatments and special food. He gave her 7 female servants from the king’s *palace. And he moved Esther and her servants to the best part of the *harem.
v10 Mordecai told Esther that she should not tell anyone that she was a *Jew. So Esther did not tell anyone. v11 Mordecai walked by the *harem many times each day. He did this so that he could know what was happening to Esther.
v12 Before a young woman went to be with the king she had to have *beauty treatments. These went on for 12 months. v13 Then she could take whatever she wanted with her when she went to be with the king.
A young woman could choose what clothes and other things to wear when she went to be with the king.
v14 She would go to be with the king in the evening. She would stay the night with him. In the morning she went to the *harem where the king’s other wives lived. Shaashgaz, a *eunuch, looked after the women there. The young woman would only see the king again if he liked her. And if he asked for her by name.
In *Old Testament times, people did not think it was wrong for a man to keep a woman who was not his wife (these women were concubines). They did not have any authority in the house. In the king’s *harem, some of the concubines did not see the king again. They did not have the authority that the queen had.
v15 When it was Esther’s time to go to the king, she asked for the things that Hegai had suggested. Everyone who saw Esther liked her. v16 Esther went to King Xerxes in the 10th month. That is the month Tebeth. It was the 7th year of King Xerxes’ rule.
There is a list of the *Jewish months at the end of the book.
v17 The king loved Esther more than he loved any of the other women. He was nice to her because he liked her. He put the *crown on her head and made her queen. So, Esther became queen instead of Vashti. v18 The king gave a great *feast called Esther’s *Feast. All his officers and other important men came to the *feast. He gave everyone in the *kingdom a day of rest. And he gave many gifts to people.
v19 The officers brought the young women together again. At this time, Mordecai sat at the King’s Gate.
The King’s Gate was probably the way in to the *palace. Only people with authority and officers in the king’s army would be at the King’s Gate. Mordecai probably worked for the king.
v20 Esther had not told the king that she was a *Jew. Mordecai had told her not to tell him. She obeyed Mordecai as she had done when she lived with him as his daughter.
v21 When Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate he heard Bigthana and Teresh, who were the king’s officers, become angry. He heard that they wanted to kill the king. v22 Mordecai told Queen Esther that the officers wanted to kill the king. Queen Esther told the king. She said that Mordecai had discovered this. v23 The king found that this was true. He told men to kill these officers. And he told them to hang the dead bodies from *gallows. The king watched while his servant wrote these things in the Book of Years.
At this time Mordecai had authority in the king’s *palace. Mordecai would learn if anyone wanted to hurt the king. Esther was in the right place to tell the king. The records show that Mordecai saved the king’s life. God had put Esther and Mordecai in places of authority.
v1 Some time passed. Then King Xerxes gave an officer called Haman great authority. Only King Xerxes had more authority in the *kingdom than Haman. Haman’s father was an Agagite. v2 The king said that everyone must bow down to Haman as a sign of *respect. But Mordecai would not bow down to Haman.
v3 The officers at the King’s Gate asked Mordecai, ‘Why do you not obey the king’s *law?’ v4 They asked Mordecai this every day. But he would not bow down to Haman. So the officers told Haman that Mordecai would not bow down to him. And they told Haman that Mordecai was a *Jew. They wanted to know if Haman would excuse Mordecai.
v5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down, he was very angry. v6 And when Haman discovered that Mordecai was a *Jew, he decided to kill all the *Jews in the *kingdom of Xerxes.
Mordecai would not bow down to Haman because Haman’s father was an Agagite. The fathers and grandfathers of the Agagites had been the Amalekites. The *Jews and Analects were enemies. In Exodus 17:16 are these words, ‘The Lord (God) will be at war against the Analects from *family to *family’. When Haman discovers that Mordecai is a *Jew he wants to kill all the *Jewish people in the *kingdom. He was an enemy of all the *Jews.
v7 His men who knew the *law threw a *pur. The *pur fell on the 12th month. This was the month Adar. They would kill all the *Jews on this day. v8 So Haman said to King Xerxes, ‘There are people living in your *kingdom who are different from all the other people living in your *kingdom. They do not obey the king’s *laws. But they live among all your other people. It is not good for you to let them live in your *kingdom. v9 If it makes the king happy, why not pass a *law to kill all these people. I will pay 10 000 talents of silver into the king’s bank. This is for the men who carry out your *law’.
v10 The king took his *signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman, the enemy of the *Jews. v11 He said to Haman, ‘Keep your money. You may do anything you want with these people’.
10 000 talents is a very large amount of money. Silver is a valuable metal. People used it as money.
Any *law with the picture of the king’s *signet ring on it had the king’s authority.
v12 Haman called for the king’s writers. This was on the 13th day of the 1st month. The writers wrote the *law in the language of all the people who lived in the *kingdom of Xerxes. Haman used the king’s *signet ring to show that the *law had the king’s authority.
The *law had the king’s authority, but Haman wrote the *law. The king did not know that the people Haman wanted to kill were *Jews. He did not know that Queen Esther was a *Jew.
v13 Men delivered the *law to all of the *kingdom. The *law said that on the 13th day of the 12th month soldiers would kill all the *Jews. They would kill old people and young people, women and children. All *Jews would die. Haman told the soldiers to take everything belonging to the *Jews. v14 Haman had copies of the *law made in every language that people spoke in the *kingdom. Everybody was to be ready for that day.
v15 King Xerxes told his officers to send the *law quickly to all of the *kingdom. Then Haman and the king sat down and began to *feast together. While they *feasted, everyone in the city of Susa was afraid.
v1 When Mordecai discovered what had happened he tore his clothes and dressed in sackcloth and ashes. He went into the city crying aloud.
Sackcloth is a material. It is dark in colour and is made of goats’ hair. *Jews would wear sackcloth and ashes when they were very sad. For example, when someone died the *Jews would put on sackcloth and put ashes over their head. Other people would know that the person wearing sackcloth and ashes was very sad.
v2 He stopped at the King’s Gate. No one dressed in sackcloth and ashes could come into the *palace. v3 All through the *kingdom of Xerxes, *Jews were crying aloud and *fasting. Many of the *Jews lay on sackcloth and ashes.
While the *Jews *fasted, they usually prayed to God. One reason for *fasting was to ask for God’s help when something bad was going to happen.
v4 Esther’s female servants and *eunuchs told her what Mordecai was doing. Esther felt troubled. She sent clothes for Mordecai to put on. But Mordecai refused to wear them. v5 Hathach was one of the king’s *eunuchs. Esther told Hathach to discover what troubled Mordecai.
Esther could not leave the *palace because she was one of the king’s wives. Mordecai could not come into the *palace because he was wearing *sackcloth and ashes.
v6 Hathach went to Mordecai. Mordecai was just outside the King’s Gate. v7 Mordecai told Hathach what happened with Haman (that Mordecai would not bow down to him). He told Hathach that King Xerxes said that people must kill all the *Jews. And he told Hathach about the 10 000 talents of silver (see note after verse 10) that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s bank. v8 Mordecai gave Hathach a copy of the king’s *law to give to Esther. He told Hathach to tell Esther that she must go to the king. And that she must ask the king to let her people live.
v9 Hathach returned to the *harem and told Esther what Mordecai had said. v10 Esther sent Hathach to tell Mordecai, v11 ‘Everyone knows that a person may only see the king if the king asks for him or her by name. There is only one *law for anyone who goes to the king. If the king has not asked to see him, that person must die. Only if the king holds out his gold *sceptre will the person live. The king has not asked me to go to him for 30 days’.
Even Esther, who is queen, can only go to the king if he asks for her by name. It is dangerous for Esther to go to the king because he has not asked for her.
v12 Then Hathach told Mordecai what Esther had said. v13 Mordecai sent back this answer. ‘Do not think that because you are in the king’s *palace you will be the only *Jew to stay alive. v14 If you do not speak for your people (the *Jews) at this time, help will come from another place. But you and your *family will die. Perhapsthis is why you are queen’.
Mordecai is showing *faith in God. God will not let Haman kill the *Jews. Mordecai knows this. 2 Kings 19:31 tells us this. Mordecai is telling Esther that God has put her in the *palace as queen. Because Esther is queen, she can speak to the king. Esther can ask the king to save the lives of the *Jews.
v15 Esther sent this reply to Mordecai, v16 ‘Tell all the *Jews in Susa to *fast for me. They must not eat or drink for three days. They must not eat or drink in the day or night for this time. My female servants and I will also *fast. After three days have passed, I will go to the king even when it is against his *law. Because he has not asked for me, he may tell his officers to kill me. If I die, I die’.
The *Jews were *fasting and praying to God to help Queen Esther. She had to speak to the king. Esther is showing that she has *faith in God. She *trusts God to keep her safe and she will do what God wants.
v17 Mordecai did as Esther had told him.
v1 After three days had passed, Esther put on her special clothes and went to King Xerxes. The king was sitting on his throne (a seat for a king). Esther stood in the room that was in front of his throne. v2 When the king saw Esther, he was happy. He held out his gold *sceptre.
The king lets Esther live.
v3 The king asked, ‘What do you want, Queen Esther? I will give you whatever you want. Even if it is half my *kingdom’. v4 Esther replied, ‘If it makes the king happy, I would like the king and Haman to come to a *feast that I have prepared’.
v5 The king said to his servants, ‘Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther wants’. The king and Haman went to the meal that Esther had prepared.
v6 When they were drinking *wine, the king asked Esther, ‘What do you want? I will give you whatever you want. Even if it is half my *kingdom’. v7 She replied ‘This is what I want. v8 If the king is happy with me and wants to give me what I want, this is what I want. I would like the king and Haman to come again tomorrow. Come to a *feast that I will prepare for them. Then I will tell the king what I want’.
v9 When Haman went from Queen Esther’s *feast he was happy. Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate. But when Haman passed him, he did not get up or bow down to Haman. Then Haman became very angry with Mordecai. v10 Haman did not say anything to Mordecai. He went home. Then he sent for his friends and Zeresh his wife.
v11 Haman told them how rich he was. He told his friends how many sons he had and how powerful he was. He told his friends and his wife that he was more powerful than any other man who was in the *palace v12 Haman told his friends and his wife about the *feast that Queen Esther prepared for the king. He said, ‘I was the only other person that the queen asked to come to the meal. The queen has asked me to another *feast tomorrow with the king. v13 But all these things do not make me happy when I see the *Jew Mordecai sitting at the King’s Gate’.
Because Mordecai sat at the King’s Gate he had authority in the *palace. Haman did not like Mordecai the *Jew having authority in the *palace. And he was angry because even when Haman was more powerful than Mordecai, Mordecai would not bow down to him.
v14 His wife and his friends said to him, ‘Ask some men to build a *gallows high enough for all to see. In the morning, ask the king to have Mordecai killed. Hang Mordecai’s body on the *gallows. Then go to Queen Esther’s *feast and be happy’.
What they had suggested made Haman happy. So he told his servants to build the *gallows.
v1 That night the king could not sleep. He told a servant to bring the Book of Years. And he told the servant to read the book to him.
The Book of Years contained a record of everything that happened in the *kingdom.
v2 The Book of Years included the report of how two officers wanted to kill the king. And how Mordecai had discovered this and told Queen Esther. The servant read this report to the king. v3 The king asked his servant ‘When Mordecai saved my life, what did I do for him?’ The servant told the king that Mordecai did not receive anything.
v4 The king said, ‘Who is in the *palace?’ Now Haman had just come into the *palace. He wanted to ask the king for his officers to kill Mordecai and hang Mordecai’s body on the *gallows. v5 The servants told the king that Haman was in the *palace. The king told Haman to come to him.
v6 Haman came to the king. The king asked him, ‘What should I do for a man that I want to make very important?’ Haman thought to himself, ‘I must be the man that the king wants to make very important’. v7 Haman replied to the king. ‘This is what you should do for the man that you want to make very important. v8 Your servants should bring the clothes that the king wears. They should bring the king’s horse. It should have a *royal crown on its head. So, everyone will know that it is the king’s horse. v9 Tell your servants to give the clothes and the horse to your most *trusted officer. Tell the officer to put the king’s clothes on the man that you want to make very important. Tell the officer to help the man on to the king’s horse. The officer must then lead the man from the beginning to the end of the city. The officer must shout, “See what the king does for the man that he wants to make very important” ’.
v10 The king said, ‘Go quickly! Get the clothes and the horse. Do as you have suggested for Mordecai the *Jew. He is sitting at the King’s Gate. Be sure to do everything you suggested’. v11 So Haman dressed Mordecai in the king’s clothes, and led him on the king’s horse from the beginning to the end of the city. Haman shouted, ‘See what the king does for the man that he wants to make very important!’
v12 After this Mordecai returned to the King’s Gate. But Haman hurried home. He covered his face because he was ashamed and angry at what had happened. v13 He told his wife and friends everything that had happened to him. Then his friends who knew the *law said and his wife, Zeresh, said, ‘You have already lost some of your power to Mordecai. If he is a *Jew, then you can not fight against him. You cannot win against him’.
v14 While they were speaking, the king’s *eunuchs arrived. They had come to take Haman to Queen Esther’s *feast.
v1 King Xerxes and Haman went to the *feast that Queen Esther had prepared. v2 While they were drinking *wine at this second *feast, King Xerxes asked his question again. ‘Queen Esther’, he asked, ‘What do you want? If you want half the *kingdom, I will give it to you’.
v3 Queen Esther replied, ‘If you are happy with me, and want to give me what I ask, then let me live. And let my people live. This is what I want. v4 Someone has sold me and my people so that we will die. If he had sold us as male and female slaves, I would not have troubled the king’. v5 Then King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, ‘Who is he? Where is the man who would do this?’ v6 Esther replied, ‘Our enemy is this *evil man Haman!’ Then Haman was very afraid.
Haman now knows that Queen Esther is a *Jew. He knows that the king will be very angry because of the *law that Haman wrote.
v7 The king was very angry. He left his *wine and went into the *palace garden. Haman knew that the king would kill him. So, he stayed with Queen Esther to ask her for his life. v8 Just as the king returned, Haman threw himself on Queen Esther. He asked her for his life. The king shouted, ‘You even attack the queen when she is with me in the *palace!’ As soon as the king said this, servants covered Haman’s face with a piece of cloth.
Covering Haman’s face with a cloth (a piece of material) meant that Haman was going to die.
v9 Harbona, one of the king’s *eunuchs said, ‘A *gallows stands outside Haman’s home. Haman’s men built it. He wanted to kill Mordecai and hang his body on the *gallows. Two officers wanted to kill the king. Mordecai is the man who told the king about it’. The king said, ‘Hang Haman’s body on the *gallows’. v10 So a servant killed Haman and hung his body on the *gallows built for Mordecai the *Jew. Then the king did not feel so angry.
v1 That day, King Xerxes gave Queen Esther all of Haman’s *property. Mordecai came in front of the king. Esther had told the king that Mordecai was her cousin. v2 The king had taken back his *signet ring from Haman. He gave the *signet ring to Mordecai. Esther gave Mordecai authority over the *property that the king gave her.
This was the *property that belonged to Haman.
v3 Then Esther went to the king. She cried aloud and threw herself down at his feet. She asked him to stop Haman’s *evil plan to kill all the *Jews. v4 The king held out his gold *sceptre to Esther. Then she stood up in front of the king.
v5 Esther said to the king, ‘If I make the king happy, and if the king thinks that it is the right thing to do, let the king do this. Tell your officers not to kill all the *Jews on the 13th day of the 12th month. v6 Or I will have to see the death of all my people’.
v7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and Mordecai, ‘Because Haman wanted to kill the *Jews, I have given all of his *property to Esther. And Haman’s body now hangs on the *gallows. v8 Write another *law with the king’s authority. Write a *law to help the *Jews. My *signet ring shows that the *law has the king’s authority. There can be no change to a *law that has the king’s authority’.
v9 On the 23rd day of the 3rd month (the month Sivan), Mordecai sent for the men who recorded the *law. Mordecai the *Jew told them what to write. Men riding horses took the *law to all the *kingdom. Mordecai told people to copy the *law into every language that people spoke in the *kingdom. So everyone would know what the new *law said. v10 The *law that Mordecai wrote had the king’s authority. It had a picture of the king’s *signet ring. Men riding fast horses took the *law all through the *kingdom.
v11 The king’s *law said that every *Jew in every city could fight against any person who attacked them. This included the women and children of any man who attacked them. The *Jews could take the *property of anyone that they killed. v12 The *law said that the *Jews could do this for one day. This day was the 13th day of the 12th month. This was the month Adar.
This was the day that Haman had planned to kill all the *Jews.
v13 A copy of the *law reached all the *kingdom. Everybody knew the *law. The *Jews prepared for that day. They would kill all their enemies on that day. v14 The king told his officers to travel quickly on their horses. The *law was also made known in the city of Susa.
v15 Then Mordecai went from the king’s *palace. He was wearing beautiful clothes of blue and white. He had a large *crown of gold on his head and a purple robe of linen. The people of Susa were very happy.
Mordecai does not wear *sackcloth and ashes because God has answered the *Jews’ *prayers. God has saved the lives of the *Jews. Purple is a colour. Purple robes are clothes that rich and powerful people wear. They wore them over other clothes. They used linen to make clothes for rich and powerful people.
v16 The *Jews were very happy and everyone *respected them. v17 In all the *kingdom the *Jews held *feasts and were very happy. Many people became *Jews because of what happened.
v1 It was the 13th day of the 12th month, the month Adar. Everyone who was an enemy of the *Jews had hoped to kill them. But because of the king’s new *law, the *Jews could fight to keep themselves safe. v2 The *Jews came together in their provinces and cities to fight against their enemies. No one could stand against them. Everyone was afraid of them.
The provinces were the parts of the *kingdom of Xerxes that were not in the city of Susa. Everyone who lived outside the city lived in the provinces.
v3 Also, all the officers in the *kingdom helped the *Jews because they were afraid of Mordecai. v4 Everyone knew that Mordecai had great authority in the *palace. And he became more and more powerful. v5 So the *Jews could do what they wanted with their enemies. They could destroy them.
v6 In the city of Susa, the *Jews killed 500 people. v7 They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, v8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, v9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha – v10 the 10 sons of Haman, the enemy of the *Jews. But the *Jews did not take any of the *property of the people that they killed.
v11 Officers told the king how many people the *Jews killed in the city of Susa. v12 Then the king said to Queen Esther, ‘In the city of Susa the *Jews have killed 500 people and the 10 sons of Haman. How many of their enemies have the *Jews killed in the rest of the *kingdom? Now, what do you want? I will give you what ever you want’.
v13 Esther replied, ‘If it makes the king happy, let the *Jews in Susa do the same tomorrow. Also, hang the bodies of Haman’s sons from the *gallows’.
v14 The king said that this should happen. He made another *law in Susa so that the *Jews could fight for themselves again. And the bodies of Haman’s 10 sons were hung on the *gallows. Everyone could see them.
v15 On the 14th day of the month Adar the *Jews killed 300 people in Susa. But they did not take the *property of the people that they killed. v16 In the provinces the *Jews killed 75 000 people. But they did not take the *property of the people that they killed.
v17 After the *Jews had killed their enemies, the *Jews in the provinces were very happy. They held *feasts. This was on the 13th day of Adar. v18 The *Jews in Susa killed their enemies on the 14th day of Adar. On the 15th day they rested and held *feasts. v19 This is why *Jews who live in the provinces *feast and give each other gifts on the 14th day of Adar.
v20 Mordecai recorded what had happened. He sent letters to all the *Jews living in the *kingdom of Xerxes. v21 He told them to have a *feast and a holiday on the 14th and 15th days of Adar. He told the *Jews that they must do this every year, v22 because these were the days that they destroyed their enemies. The month Adar is the month when those who were sad became happy. Mordecai told the *Jews to remember these days. He told them to give gifts and special food to each other. And to give these things to poor people.
v23 So the *Jews did everything that Mordecai told them. And they had a *feast every year to remember what had happened. v24 They remembered how Haman the Agagite, the enemy of all the *Jews, planned to kill them. That he threw *pur to choose the day to kill them. v25 They remembered how Esther went to the king. And that the king wrote another *law. The *Jews remembered that the king killed Haman instead of the *Jews. And that the *Jews killed Haman’s sons. They remembered how the dead bodies of Haman and his sons were hung on the *gallows.
v26 So the *Jews called the *feast the *Feast of Purim. Because this is what Mordecai told them. And because of everything that happened.
Purim is the plural word of *pur which Haman threw to choose the day to kill the *Jews.
v27 The *Jews made a rule. The rule was for themselves and *Jews born after them. And for anyone who became a *Jew. The rule was that everyone must have a *feast on the 14th and 15th days of Adar every year. This is just as Mordecai told them. v28 Every *Jew and every *Jew born in later years everywhere must remember the *Feast of Purim.
Even today *Jews have a *feast every year to remember everything that happened.
v29 Then Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai wrote a second letter. In this letter they gave their authority to the *Feast of Purim. v30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the *Jews living in the 127 provinces of the *kingdom of Xerxes. The message told them that all the *Jews were safe v31 so that the *Jews would remember the *Feast of Purim. And remember the times of *fasting and *feasts.
v32 Queen Esther made this *law for all the *Jews. The men who wrote down the *law recorded that the *Jews should remember the *Feast of Purim.
v1 King Xerxes made everyone pay tribute taxes. Those who live on the land and those who live on the islands in the sea had to pay tribute taxes.
Tribute taxes can mean that the king said that people must do work for him, or that the king said that people must pay money to the government. Both show how powerful the king was.
v2 The Book of Years of the kings of Media and Persia show all the great and powerful things that the king did. And the book records how Mordecai became powerful. v3 King Xerxes gave Mordecai great authority and Mordecai became very powerful. Only the king had more authority than Mordecai. Many *Jews came to know that Mordecai was a great man. And that Mordecai always did what was right for the *Jews.
God is working all through the Book of Esther. The book shows us that:
· God listens to *prayers. He saved the *Jews from death.
· God is more powerful than his enemies are, and that he cares for his people.
· God has a purpose for his people. The verse that shows us this is 4:14,
‘If you do not speak at this time, God will find another way to save the *Jews. But you and your relatives (all the people in your *family) will die; perhaps this is why you are queen’.
Esther and Mordecai showed that they followed God, not men. Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman. Esther went to the king even when he did not ask for her by name. Both Esther and Mordecai could have died because of what they did. But they still put God before men.
God listened to the *Jews’ *prayers. So we can be sure that he will listen to our *prayers.
Jesus was born a *Jew. If God let Haman destroy the *Jews, Jesus could not be born. But men cannot stop God’s plans for his people.
God has a plan for us and no one is powerful enough to stop that plan.
beauty treatments ~ oils used to care for a person’s body.
crown ~ something that kings and queens wear on their head.
eunuch ~ male servant who worked in the *palace.
exile, exiled ~ to have to leave their own land, often for a long time.
evil ~ very bad; there is nothing good in evil.
faith ~ to agree with and do the things that God teaches; to believe in someone or something.
family, families ~ family included father, mother and children; also grandfathers and those who had been born before.
fast, fasting ~ means not eating or drinking for an amount of time.
feast ~ a time of eating and drinking. It could last for hours, days, weeks or months.
Feast of Purim ~ see Esther 9:23-26.
gallows ~ high beams that people make from wood for hanging dead bodies on.
harem ~ the part of the *palace where the king’s wives lived.
Jews, Jewish ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
kingdom ~ where a king rules; a land where a king rules.
law ~ rules that a person in authority makes.
Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the things that the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.
palace ~ a very large house; it is where the king lives.
prayers ~ the words that we say when we talk to God.
property ~ all that someone owns.
prophet ~ a person that spoke God’s words. Some prophets wrote books in the Bible.
pur ~ used to choose a date by chance; the pur could have fallen on any date.
respect ~ to think that a person has value, or is important.
royal crown~ something that kings and queens wear on their head.
sackcloth ~ sackcloth is a material. It is dark in colour and is made of goats’ hair. *Jews would wear sackcloth and ashes when they were very sad.
sceptre ~ a stick carried by someone with authority, usually a king or queen.
signet ring ~ a valuable stone with a mark on it, put on a ring, worn on the finger.
trust ~ to follow something that you think is true.
wine ~ a drink made from grapes (a fruit).
Nisan ~ March/April
Iyyar ~ April/May
Sivan ~ May/June
Tammuz ~ June/July
Ab ~ July/August
Elul ~ August/September
Tishri ~ September/October
Marchesvan ~ October/ November
Kislev ~ November/December
Tebeth ~ December/January
Shebat ~ January/February
Adar ~ February/March
R L Omansn and P A Noss ~ A Handbook on The Book of Esther ~ UBS
M Henry ~ Commentary on the Whole Bible ~ Marshall Pickering
Bibles ~ RSV, NIV, NKJV
© 2001-2002, Wycliffe Associates (UK)
This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level A (1200 words)
May 2002